Exemplary embodiments herein generally relate to a vehicle slide door for an opening of a vehicle side body structure and which can open or close in a front-to-rear direction. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to a stop device for the vehicle slide door which can improve the safety thereof by holding the slide door in a partial open position when the slide door is opened with an open window pane.
In general, a slide door for a vehicle is configured to be guided in a front-to-rear direction by a sliding door mechanism which moves the slide door on rails provided in parallel with one another. The rails include a lower rail and an upper rail, each rail extending in the front-to-rear direction of a vehicle side body structure and are fixed to the side body structure. The sliding door mechanism is typically arranged to move or displace the slide door from a closed position to a full open position where the door is arranged laterally from the side body structure. The sliding door mechanism generally comprises a lower sliding assembly operatively associated with the lower rail and movable along the lower rail and an upper sliding assembly operatively associated with the upper rail and movable along the upper rail. The lower and upper sliding assemblies guide the vehicle slide door in the front-to-rear direction. A full open stopper bracket having a full stopper is typically mounted to the side body structure near a rear end of the lower rail and is engageable by the lower sliding assembly when the slide door is in the full open position.
An example of a known full open stopper bracket 100 is depicted in FIG. 10. As shown, the full open stopper bracket 100 includes a base 102 having a rear end portion 104 and a forward end portion 106. A flange 110 is provided on the rear end portion 104. A full stopper 112 is mounted to the flange 110 of the rear end portion of the bracket 100. The bracket 100 further includes an elevated section 120 provided near the rear end portion 104. The elevated section 120 includes a post 122 which is engaged by the lower sliding assembly in the full open position of the slide door. Mounting apertures 126 and 128 are provided through the base for attaching the full open stopper bracket 100 to the vehicle side body structure.
In the case of the slide door having a window pane that is movable by a window regulator, a portion of an occupant's body could be exposed outwardly from the vehicle, while the window pane is open. In this instance, when the slide door is moved to the full open position, the exposed body part may collide against the vehicle body or be pressed by the slide door. One way for solving this problem, and as depicted in FIG. 10, is to provide a separate mid-stopper bracket 130 spaced forwardly in the front-to-rear direction from the full open stopper bracket 100. The mid-stopper bracket 130 has a mid-stopper 132 which prevents the slide door from being fully opened when the window pane is also opened a predetermined distance. With reference to FIG. 10, the known mid-stopper bracket 130 includes a base 140 having a rear end portion 142 and a forward end portion 144. A flange 146 extends upwardly from and generally normal to the base 140. The mid-stopper 132 is mounted to the flange 146 at the forward end portion of the bracket 130 via a welded plate 148. Mounting apertures 150 and 152 are provided through the base 140 for attaching the mid-stopper bracket 130 to the vehicle side body structure. However, with this known arrangement, there are multiple separate components which increase the weight and cost associated with the slide door stop device.